Prince Harry has settled his lawsuit against News Group Newspapers, the Rupert Murdoch-owned company that publishes The Sun and previously published now-defunct News of The World.
The settlement, announced Wednesday, includes an apology and admission of wrongdoing from NGN. The media company said it would also pay a “substantial” amount of damages.
“We acknowledge and apologise for the distress caused to the Duke, and the damage inflicted on relationships, friendships and family, and have agreed to pay him substantial damages,”NGN said in an apology statement. “It is also acknowledged, without any admission of illegality, that NGN’s response to the 2006 arrests and subsequent actions were regrettable.”
The settlement ends a legal fight that began in 2019 when Harry, the youngest child of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, sued NGN over alleged illegal information gathering that dated back to the 1990s and 2000s.
In the lawsuit, Harry alleged that journalists at The Sun gathered information on him illegally, and hired private detectives to do so. He also claimed in the suit that senior executives at The Sun knew about the alleged illegal information gathering and covered it up.
Harry was joined in the lawsuit by Tom Watson, a U.K. lawmaker.
Leading up to the trial, NGN had strongly refuted Harry’s claims.
Harry’s settlement with NGN was announced just one day after the start of the trial in London’s High Court.
![](https://i0.wp.com/i.abcnewsfe.com/a/14b07b00-37d2-4906-8c40-c112900fbe07/prince-harry-gty-thg-250121_1737479144721_hpMain.jpg?ssl=1)
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, speaks onstage during The New York Times Dealbook Summit 2024 at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Dec. 4, 2024 in New York City.
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images, FILE
On Tuesday, the lawyer for Harry — who lives in California and did not attend the trial’s opening day — asked for an hour’s adjournment, which was followed by additional requests for delays from both Harry’s and NGN’s legal teams.
In one request for additional time, NGN’s lawyer Anthony Hudson KC said there had been “intense negotiations” between the two legal teams for the past few days.
“Both parties are in complete agreement… The number of times the parties have been in agreement in this litigation are very few and far between,” Hudson said in his request.
Harry spoke about the upcoming trial as recently as December, saying he wanted “accountability.”
“The goal is accountability. It’s really that simple,” Harry told an audience at the New York Times’ DealBook Summit in December.
Had the trial continued, Harry was expected to testify in-person in February.
In a recent development, Prince Harry has settled his lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch’s UK tabloids with ‘substantial’ damages. The lawsuit was filed over the alleged hacking of the Prince’s phone and invasion of his privacy.
The settlement comes after years of legal battles, with Prince Harry accusing the tabloids of breaching his privacy and spreading false information about him and his family. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed, but it is reported that the damages paid to Prince Harry were substantial.
This victory for Prince Harry is seen as a significant win for him and his ongoing battle against the intrusive and unethical practices of the tabloid press. It sends a strong message that the royal family will not tolerate such behavior and will fight for their right to privacy.
The settlement also serves as a warning to other media outlets that they will be held accountable for their actions and that they must adhere to ethical standards in their reporting.
Overall, this settlement is a step in the right direction towards greater accountability and respect for privacy in the media industry. Prince Harry’s fight against tabloid intrusion has been long and arduous, but with this settlement, he has achieved a significant victory.
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